The present invention relates to pet enclosure areas and, in particular, to a pet bed for caged enclosures that is suspended for keeping the bed area above washable surfaces and stowed against a cage wall when not in use.
Various independent bedding products are available to pet owner for providing a comfortable resting area for their pets. Generally, such products are disposed on the floor of the household and the areas therearound do not require frequent cleaning. When cleaning is required, the beds may be conveniently moved elsewhere and repositioned when the area is dry.
For kenneled pets and other outdoor caged pets, the animal is confined to a limited area and accordingly regular surface cleaning, sometimes daily, is required. In such cases, removing the bedding product from the kennel area is not feasible. Moreover, particularly in commercial kennels, a multiple kennels may be cleaned simultaneously, further accentuating the difficulties of moving the bedding and preventing the same from becoming water saturated. Accordingly, most kennels do not permit or limit the types of bedding products the owners may provide during their pet""s kenneling period.
After such cleaning, the kennel floor may remain wet or damp for considerable periods after cleaning thereby imposing discomfort and ill conditions on the pet. Thus while affording clean quarters, the pets comforts are necessarily compromised. To floor level conditions, primarily in residential settings, floor supported, elevated bedding platforms for pets have been proposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,484 to Duane discloses a raised pet bedding platform that may be mounted adjacent a vertical surface such as a bed. Once installed, the platform is not readily removed for storage or cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,389 to Caldwell discloses a frame supported raised support surface that may be removed for cleaning. While the frame may be shifted for cleaning thereunder, the pet bed is designed primarily for indoor residential use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,694 to Haynes et al. discloses a wire frame, raised and tented platform for cats. The enclosure is floor supported and must be moved for cleaning the floor area. U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,065 to Bandimere et al. discloses a floor mounted peripheral frame covered by a fabric disposed in hammock fashion for supporting the animal above floor level.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D 374,512 to Kiley et al. disclosed a floor supported raised pet platform have a shade. While formed of sheet material and tubing, the platform occupies floor space and must be moved for cleaning the area. A similar approach is disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. D 294,752 to Palier.
It will thus be appreciated that the foregoing approaches are primarily intended for increasing pet comforts in residential settings and do not lend themselves into incorporation into confined pet environment that require cleaning on a frequent basis, oftentimes while the pet remains in the area. Such approaches also require dedicated floor space and cannot be readily removed in such a setting. Furthermore, the floor units would be susceptible to water spray during cleaning resulting in a wetted bedding area thereafter attractive to insects and other pests.
In view of the foregoing limitations of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bedding area for pets that does not interfere with cleansing of the surrounding floor area.
A further object of the invention is to provide a suspended bedding area for a pet that does not interfere with cleaning in the area and may be readily stowed in the area when not in use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a suspended bedding platform for pets in caged or kennel environments wherein the platform may be suspended from the walls thereof and used by the pet during cleaning of the area.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a suspended pet bed for use in confined quarters that affords the pet a dry comfortable area during normal operation of the quartering facility.
The present invention fulfills the above and other desirable needs in the living quarters of confined pets by providing a padded sleeping platform that is suspended from the ceiling or walls of the living quarters sufficiently off the ground so as not to interfere with normal cleaning schedules and gives the pet a dry resting area while the washed surfaces are drying. To this end, a bedding frame is supported above floor level by a pair of flexible tethers, such as cables or chains or the like, at spaced vertical locations. A flexible bedding platform is attached to the frame adjacent the bottom thereof establishing a protective retaining wall for the pet. The pet bed is formed of moisture and scratch and bite resistant materials to protect against environmental and pet activity damage. When not in use, both tethers may be connected to a common surface permitting the collapsed platform to be stowed compactly thereagainst so as not to inhibit other activities in the area.